


Worlds Apart

by carmensandiego



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-04 22:27:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4155321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carmensandiego/pseuds/carmensandiego
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Donald Ressler struggles with the task of hunting down his former partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He sat in his apartment staring at the wall. It was the Conference Finals for hockey but not even that could divert his attention for the last two hours. He looked down at the notes scattered across his coffee table and sighed deeply. Notes on her… her potential whereabouts. He closed his eyes and pinched his nose hard. Thoughts of that day danced through his head every time he found himself alone. Thoughts of how he could've changed the outcome… how he could've helped her more.

He heard a message come through on his cell phone and immediately opened his eyes, drastically searching to see who it was from. He hated doing this to himself… allowing his hopes to get up like he had every single time someone called or texted him at an unexpected hour. And every time he was let down.

Liz hadn't made contact with him. Not since the phone call where she told him Cooper hadn't shot Connolly. Not since he told her he would hunt her down.

He wished he could take those words back. He wished he could have re-phrased them to let her know, to make her understand, that hunting her was the last thing he could ever fathom himself doing.

But here he sat. Four months later, leading the task force against her. Her and Raymond Reddington.

The message on the phone was from Aram. It was labeled as urgent and Ressler immediately dialed the agent's cell phone back.

"Ressler, good you called back."

"What is it Aram? Did you find something?" Ressler hoped the desperation in his voice didn't show through.

"Actually, Agent Ressler. Yes. I did."

He sat up straight on the couch and turned the volume down on his television.

"Tell me Aram."

"Ok. So remember when I first met Red and he threatened to kill me if I couldn't find Berlin's daughter? Well, I remember, through my tears, him saying how much he liked this 1989 Chateau Petrus red wine from France. There aren't too many of them left in the world. So a few weeks ago I put a tag in the system to alert me if anyone purchased or shipped a bottle of that particular wine….And guess what was just ordered and delivered to Dublin, Ireland?"

"The wine?" Ressler got up from his couch and ran to get his keys.

"Aram, meet me at the office in 20 minutes."

"Of course, Agent Ressler." The phone call ended and Ressler grabbed his keys and headed out of the door.

It was the first lead on Liz & Red that the task force had since they had gone on the run. When he got to his car, he could feel his heart beating out of his chest. If Red was really in Ireland and ordering bottles of his favorite wine, that means that he was okay.

That meant that Liz was okay.

…..

He rushed into the Post Office and walked up the stairs to his office. It still felt weird… his office.

He was so used to sharing a space with Keen. So used to not having much privacy, to bouncing off ideas with her and the other agents. Ressler knew that taking over the task force would be hard. But he didn't realize how lonely it would be as well.

A few minutes later, he heard a knock on his door and yelled for Aram to step in.

The agent looked like he had just awakened from a deep sleep and Ressler couldn't help but chuckle. At least someone on the team was able to sleep…

"Agent Ressler, it looks like the hit on the wine is being delivered to a PO Box near the eastern coast of Ireland", Aram said as he put his computer on Ressler's desk so the agent could see the location.

"I haven't been able to find out much about who owns the box. But hopefully in a few hours I can see if the trail leads to Red."

Ressler shook his head. "We may not have a few hours. I need to get on a plane now."

"Agent Ressler, this lead could mean nothing. I'm sure Reddington isn't the only person alive to invest in a good bottle of this wine."

But Ressler was already grabbing some files and the spare suitcase he kept hidden underneath his desk.

"It could mean nothing… or everything." He looked over at Aram and stopped in his tracks.

"This is the first good lead we've had in two months. If we're wrong, then that's fine. But I can't sit back and wait. I need to find her…. I mean them."

"I understand", Aram nodded and smiled. "But at least take Samar with you. Who knows what criminals Red may be around right now. We need to find Keen & Red but we also have to be smart about it."

Ressler turned towards Aram and grimaced. "I'll let you know as soon as I get on a flight and I'll keep you updated on any information I find."

He watched Agent Ressler walk out of the office and stop at the door.

"And listen Aram, no one knows about this but you and me? Until I know for sure, this stays between us. It's the weekend. No one is expecting me back again until Monday. Got it?"

Aram nodded and picked up his phone to dial.

"Samar…. Yeah, I know it's late. Look, I got a lead on Liz & Red and Ressler is heading there now. Alone….. You need to follow him to Ireland."


	2. Chapter 2

Ressler's eyes bolted open after a sudden jerk knocked him from his sleep. He looked briefly out of the plane's window and watched as the storm clouds surrounded the sky and the pilot put the seatbelt light on.

"I don't care how much I fly, I can never get used to turbulence." The older woman sitting next to him said softly.

He looked at her and pursed his lips.

"I fly enough where it doesn't bother me anymore", he said, while looking back out of the window. "Besides, evils on the ground have a greater ability to harm you than this airplane."

"Oooh", she muttered while starting to laugh. "And pray tell, what is it that you do for a living, young man?"

Ressler thought about lying for a moment but decided against it.

"I'm an FBI agent, ma'am", he said with a stoic expression.

He watched as she stared at him for a few seconds before saying anything.

"So Mr. FBI man…. Are you running from something or to something?"

Ressler's expression turned pensive as he watched her eyebrows raise in anticipation of his answer.

"Listen here dear… You're on a plane. Alone. Traveling half way across the Globe and haven't smiled or relaxed for one second. I don't need a fancy degree or FBI training to know that something is troubling you…"

Ressler smiled warmly and laughed softly.

"Well, to answer your question… I guess you could say it's a little bit of both."

…

When he stepped outside of the airport, the crisp air hit him with force. He got into the first cab that he saw and gave the driver the directions to his hotel. Aram was still putting together some key info for him and after the 8 hour plane ride, he needed to change clothes and get his plans together.

Ressler couldn't help but notice how beautiful of a city Dublin was. And as he looked out among the city streets, he silently wondered if she was somewhere hidden behind a window or door that he was passing by… if he was closer than ever to finding her.

His thoughts were interrupted by a call from Aram on his cell phone.

"Tell me something good, Aram", he said firmly.

"Well… I don't have something good. But I do have something great."

Ressler perked up in the back of the cab and pressed the phone in tightly to his ear.

"I thought I had hit a dead end when I found out that the mail center where the PO Box is located didn't have any security cameras. But I was able to tap into the cameras from the bank across the street. Don't ask…. And I found some footage that may be of interest to you from this morning."

"Aram, what's on the footage?" Ressler loved Aram's skill and expertise but he had a habit of taking forever to get to the point.

"I'm sending it over right now, Agent Ressler. Check your messages."

Ressler looked down at his phone and saw a notification come across the screen. When he opened it, he felt his heartbeat rising with the anticipation of what he was about to witness.

The video was grainy but it showed a woman walking into the mail center empty handed. A few minutes later, she came back out of the store carrying a medium sized box when the wind knocked her hat off of her head.

It was Liz.


	3. Chapter 3

Ressler's first inclination was to tell the cab driver to drive straight to where the PO Box was located and see if Liz was still in the area. The video footage that Aram had managed to pull was only from 2 hours ago. There was still a good chance she had stopped for breakfast or coffee somewhere near it.

But he needed a follow-up plan. Even if he did manage to see Liz standing in front of him, what then? Was he willing to arrest her right there, against her will? Point a gun in her face if she resisted?

Ressler sat in his hotel room and contemplated his next move. It sounded silly now, but during this whole hunt the last few months, the idea that he would actually find Liz & Red was far-fetched. He had tracked Red down for almost 5 years with no luck. And now that he had found them, now that he knew they were in the vicinity, he needed to come to grips to what needed to be done and what he actually was willing to do.

His phone rang again and he looked down to see it was Aram.

"Agent Ressler, now that we know that Liz & Red are in Ireland, I've begun digging through phone records, apartment and home purchases, any hits from some of Red's known associates that would help locate where they are living in the city."

Ressler remained silent, knowing that Aram was rounding the curve to get to the point of his phone call.

"I think I found where they are staying."

Ressler sucked in his breath and jumped up from the bed to get something to write with. Knowing that with every stroke of his pen, he was coming closer to the inevitable.

Finally hunting down Elizabeth Keen.

…

The cab dropped him off three blocks from the address that Aram had given him. The neighborhood was nice. Busy, hustling with people. He understood why Red would've chosen it. No prying neighbors. Everyone going about their own business not worrying or noticing a new face in the area.

He silently thought about Aram's words about him having backup. And quickly shrugged it off. Even if Red had people protecting him and Liz, Ressler wouldn't let it turn violent. He would have to approach her alone, somewhere away from too many faces.

His plan was to sit at the corner café down the street from the apartment building where they were staying and stake it out. Try to corner Liz alone, away from Red, and convince her to come back to the States, without her resisting. It sounded unlikely, even in his head, but it was the only thing he could think of doing at the moment.

It had been two hours and there was no sight of them. When all of a sudden, a woman rounded the corner and he instantly knew it was her. She looked tired, worn. But still resembled the same person he had grown to know. Grown to care for.

He saw her dig through a bag and grab a cell phone. She stopped just in front of her building steps and stayed there a few minutes to talk. He watched her closely. She had dyed her hair an auburn color. It wasn't the deep brown he was used to. And it was shorter.

He sat there staring for a few minutes before he suddenly realized she had ended her phone call and turned around, walking into the deli right next door. Ressler wasn't sure if there was anyone else in the apartment and figured he might have a better chance approaching her in a public venue.

He got up without notice and walked swiftly but calmly into the deli where she had just disappeared into.

When he didn't initially see her, he panicked and thought maybe he had been spotted sitting at the café. He turned down one of the aisles and up another one until he saw her in the corner, looking over some loafs of bread.

Ressler froze. All these months. All this time of pining over his former partner and her well-being. Wondering if she was okay, if she was safe. If she would eventually turn herself to save him from actually having to do his job of hunting her down. A job he wasn't sure he was even able to do.

And here she was. Right in front of him.

He walked up slowly behind her, stopping when he came within a few feet.

"Liz…", he said softly.

He watched her body turn around suddenly and stiffen when her eyes met his.

Frozen in place, they stared at each other for what felt like minutes but was only a few seconds in actuality.

"Ressler…. What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

Her face was full of pain and Ressler stepped in closer to where she stood.

"Liz, you have to turn yourself in. You need to come back with me."

"Ressler, you have to go. Do you understand? You have to leave, now!"

He saw the sorrow in her eyes turn to fear as she looked past him over her shoulder.

All of a sudden, Ressler felt his legs buckle from a blunt force to his back and heard her scream as he fell to the ground. He watched as a man grabbed her arm, pulling her away from where she stood as she looked back trying to break away.

He tried to get up but a sharp pain erupted from his back and he screamed out in frustration.

She was gone. Just like that, she was gone from his grasps.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to sit up. He saw two women staring at him in the corner and whispering to themselves. Another man approached him, yelling in a language he did not understand. But that didn't mean Ressler didn't know what the man was saying. He needed to leave the store... now.

He grabbed onto the shelf beside him and pulled himself up from the floor, gasping in pain from the blow to his back. He saw the baseball bat that had struck him lying on the floor next to where he just gotten up and looked out the door, knowing that Liz was long gone by then.

He managed to walk slowly out of the store and call a cab to take him back to his hotel, calling Aram once he got into his room.

"She got away, Aram. I found her and let her get away." He listened to Aram begin asking questions and tuned out his voice.

"Start tracking private flights out of the country and let me know if any raise suspicion. We have to find her Aram. If we don't narrow down where she's off to next, I'm afraid we never will."

Ressler tried to unbutton his shirt but the pain stopped him cold and he fell onto his bed.

He sighed as he remembered the look on her face when she had first realized he was standing in front of her. She was shocked. And if he didn't know any better, she looked relieved. But that look was soon replaced by sorrow and terror and he was struggling to understand why.

He looked at the clock and realized he had been laid out in his hotel for almost 3 hours. Liz & Red were probably long gone by now. Off to a new destination where they would be even more careful about the mistakes that led Ressler to them in Dublin.

He felt depleted. And the realization that he may never find her again weighed heavily on his mind.

He got up to use the bathroom and took an Advil for the pain when he thought he heard something.

He stepped out of his bathroom carefully and turned the corner to see a woman standing beside his window. Her face frantic, streaked with tears.

"Liz…"


	4. Chapter 4

"Ressler... you're ok?"

His eyes narrowed in and he stood there, staring back at her.

"Liz… what? What are you doing here?"

"I had to make sure you were ok." She walked closer to him and stopped when she was only a few feet away. He watched as tears continued to fall from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Ressler. For everything. I…."

"Shhh….", he said nodding his head back and forth. He wanted to reach up and comfort her. Shield her from all the bad surrounding her life the past few months but he something stopped him.

"Are you okay, Liz? Are you hurt?" He asked softly.

"Yes… I mean, no. I'm not hurt. I'm fine. And surprised that you found me. Us."

He saw her look towards the door and knew they weren't alone.

"Is he out there, waiting for you?" Ressler asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

She nodded slightly and looked away from him. "I can't go back to the States, Ressler. You know I can't. The Cabal… there's no way I'd be given a fair trial. They'll kill me."

He was about to refute her statements when the door opened slowly and Red walked in the room.

"Donald… sorry about earlier. My men are paid well to protect Liz from any and all harm. They didn't know your intent…", he said as he stood by the door looking at his watch.

"Look Lizzie, we have to go. Now. Our plane leaves in an hour." He looked over at Ressler and slowly walked over to him.

"Donald, I have come to grow fond of you over the past few years. But you know as well as I do that they will kill her if she comes back with you. We need time. Time to uncover the Cabal for what they are. Going back now is suicide."

Ressler looked over at him and grimaced.

"Red, you are being hunted down by the FBI. That is suicide. If they find out where you are, if they somehow uncover your location, they will shoot on sight and pin everything on the both of you."

Red smirked and looked up at Ressler's face. "Then don't tell them where we are, my dear Donald. I know you haven't told the FBI that you had a lead on us here or you wouldn't be alone. You have a decision at play here. Make the right one."

Ressler closed his eyes and opened them to find Liz staring back at him. Pleading with him not to make her walk out on him. It was enough to kill his spirit.

He looked over at Red and nodded.

"Good. There is a war coming. And you just chose a side."

Red walked past Ressler and went up to Liz.

"I've already made plans for the apartment to be emptied and scrubbed down. I trust Donald not to tell where we are tonight, but we still have to play it safe."

He looked at her gently and whispered in her ear, "It's time to go, Lizzie."

"No." She took a step back and looked at him. "I'm not leaving Ressler. Not yet. I'll meet you at the backup location a little later and we can leave then."

Red started to argue but knew it wouldn't get anywhere. He nodded and kissed her on the forehead.

"Don't do anything stupid." He said as he walked out of the room and closed the door gently.

Ressler watched her eyes find their way back to his.

"Thank you Ressler."

…..

Fiften minutes later, he heard a soft knock on the door and he opened it to find Liz returned with a bag full of pain meds for his back. They still hadn't talked. Still hadn't discussed the agony of what they'd both been dealing with the past four months.

Ressler locked the door behind her and watched her turn on the light in the corner of the room.

She looked over to him and smiled.

"I know you said you're fine, but your walk and grimaces say otherwise." She smiled and walked over to him.

"Take your shirt off, let me see the damage."

He looked over at her and started to reach down and pull his shirt off but the pain was too much.

Liz noticed and moved closer, taking his hands and helping him remove his shirt. Ressler breathed in the scent of her, watching her as she looked down at his bare chest and the horrible bruise that was beginning to form on his back.

He felt her softly run her hands against the bruise, sighing deeply and staring up into his eyes.

"I never meant to hurt you, Ressler…. I never meant to cause you the pain of what you're dealing with now. You shouldn't have to choose between your job and me." She closed her eyes and looked away, her hands still touching his back. Still holding onto him as if he were to disappear in any second.

Ressler thought about his words to her. He wanted her to feel his pain. Wanted her to know the agony of being tasked with hunting down his partner, his friend. He wanted her to hurt knowing the sleepless nights he laid awake wondering where she was. If she was okay. But most of all, he wanted her to know the truth.

"I've missed you, Liz….", he said softly, stepping in to embrace her as he felt her arms wrap around his body tightly. "There was never a real choice to make."

He felt her smile into his chest and they stayed in each other's arms, holding on. He felt her pull back and look at him, glaring into his eyes with the same sentiments, same fears.

"You are the one person in my life who has never let me down. You owe me nothing, Ressler."

She kissed his lips softly and pulled back, realizing the enormity of what she had just done. They had never taken their relationship there. Never once even thought about it. But these last months had changed them somehow. Things were different, they felt different standing in front of each other as a man and a woman. Not as partners.

Ressler reached down slowly and kissed her back, gently, softly. He waited for her to pull back. Waited for her to stop him and say this was crazy and they were just lonely. But she didn't. And he didn't want it to end.

He felt her wrap her arms around him, closing the space between them and he kissed her deeper, more forcibly. Showing her just what he meant by having missed her.

Liz stood back, releasing herself from his embrace, his lips. She stood there, watching his face as he took in what had just happened between them. She took off her jacket and removed her shirt and pants, standing before him in only her bra and panties.

There was no smile on his face. No look of approval. Just longing…

He stepped over to her and reached around to unhook her bra and watched as it fell to the floor. His hands ran over her chest as a small whimper came from her mouth. He watched as she slid her panties off and reached over to remove his pants as well. Ressler breathed in deeply as she reached over and took him in her hands.

He wrapped his hands around her and moved them both over to the bed. His back still in pain from earlier that day, he braced himself gently on top of her and took her breasts in his mouth as his hands found his way all over her body.

He heard her moan his name and he rose up to kiss her deeply again. He felt her hands slowly guide him and soon felt himself enter her, both of them gasping and moaning at how good the other felt.

Ressler started slow and then faster, his body not able to contain itself from the warmth of her. She smiled at him and reached up to take his lips within hers and she felt him getting closer and closer which drove her over the edge as well.

They laid there for a few minutes. Holding each other. Not wanting to let go.

They continued…. Making love for almost two hours. Afraid to stop for good, knowing what was waiting for them after the night ended.

Around 1am, Ressler was awakened by a knock at the door. He looked down, watching Liz sleeping peacefully by his side. He knew who it was…. Knew what it meant.

It was time for her to go. And time for Ressler to leave back for the States.

He kissed her softly on her head and watched as she stared up at him, smiling softly.

"Red is at the door, Liz."

He watched her expression change from joy to sorrow as she closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"I don't want to leave you…", she said softly.

Ressler nodded. "I know."

They both got out of the bed and Ressler threw on his shorts and shirt while watching Liz put her clothes back on.

He stood there for a minute. Not moving. And saw her look up when she realized his eyes were fixated on hers.

There was so much Ressler wanted to say to her. So much he needed her to know before she vanished out of his life again for months...years. He walked past her and opened the door to see Red standing across the hallway, eyeing him before turning down the hall.

"Liz, this isn't goodbye... I will make this right."

"I know", she said as she reached up to kiss him. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, not caring that Red was watching closely just a few yards away.

His tongue slipped in her mouth and she moaned, pressing herself onto him more. He forced himself to break away slowly and she mumbled his name under her breath as she walked away.

Ressler watched her walk down the hall and caught Red's eye in the distance.

The unspoken communication was there.

Don't make promises you can't keep. 

And Ressler felt the anger growing inside of him as he closed the door back and vowed to himself that he would find the Cabal and make them pay for what they'd done to their lives.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Preview

Agent Navabi sat in the lobby of Ressler's hotel. Hidden away in a corner, disguised in a short brown pixie wig.

She had watched Red & Liz enter hours ago. Watched as Red had exited, alone, with his bodyguards.

She had picked up the phone to dial Aram but decided against it. She wanted to see how this was going to play out.

She knew the struggles Ressler was dealing with. And she had serious doubts as to whether he could put his personal feelings for his former partner aside, to do what was necessary. Do what he had been tasked to do.

When Red had returned a few hours later and left with Liz in tow, she knew her suspicions had been right.

Ressler had let Liz go... For the second time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like it so far! I have so much more to add.
> 
> To Be Continued...


End file.
